The Glass Castle

Ray

English

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December 12, 2019.

The Glass Castle

In her play “The Glass Castle”, Jeanette has depicted her life. She puts the reader into the notion that how important family relations really are. She presents the sad aspect of her story to the readers, where she mentions her childhood, which was a difficult and stressful time. Her memoir reveals that it is not every time that poor parents can not bring up good children. She negates this perception by presenting her life story, which is adamant of the fact that despite bad parents, there existed, love among them. I agree with what she could have been going through while writing her memoir. Since the parent-child relationship can never negate the perception of love and affection. In the start of her play, the following words are enough for the reader to grasp what Jeanette had been going through

Mom pointed her chopsticks at me. 'You see?' she said. 'Right there. That's exactly what I'm saying. You're way too easily embarrassed. Your father and I are who we are. Accept it.'

'And what am I supposed to tell people about my parents?'

'Just tell the truth,' Mom said. 'That's simple enough (Walls, 138).'

As the play progresses, Jeanette witnessed her mother coming out of a dumpster. What could be more distressing, than to see your parents in such a miserable situation? Any rational human being cannot be that firm-hearted to see such things going on. Jeanette’s reflection of this scene is too dejected. For me, this would be a very unpleasant experience to have, in all my life. It is what embarrassment truly is, and Jeanette had been through these times. I believe that such times are hardest and can’t easily be swallowed. Not the young among us, can leave our parents in such circumstances. While describing this memory, Irvin writes “Jeanette had truly been a pugilist (Irvin, 59)”

She has also mentioned about her life when she was once treated badly by a woman, from whom she had taken a ride. Throughout their journey, the woman had been so strict with her mother and Jeanette. At that moment, she believes that it is not always the inner-self of one which consistently punches about the worst aspects. There are some social aspects also, which become the worst experiences, as they had experienced in their journey, with that woman. When fed-up with that woman’s consistent effort of making them realize their worst condition, Jeanette abruptly remarks “We are not poor (Walls, 121)”.

While struggling with her life, Jeanette decides to offer her services in school. When she takes her role as to work for the school magazine, at that moment, she realizes what her mother had been through. She herself mentions that “Until then, when I thought of writers, what first came to mind was Mom, hunched over her typewriter, clattering away on her novels and plays and philosophies of life and occasionally receiving a personalized rejection letter (Walls, 204).” It brings me to think of how cruel life can be. It shows that only working hard can make one able to make both ends meet.

Struggling with different hardships in her life, at one moment, she describes her experience of witnessing the Joshua tree struggle. Although personally, she dislikes trees, which always move backward, irrespective of how lovingly people are witnessing them, I believe here at this moment, Jeanette should have been cursing herself, since she had not been able to make her life plesent and comfortable despite working so hard. In order to remove the struggling aspect of the trees, she decides to aright that tree before her mother stops her from doing that. Ross Marry at this occasion says “You'd be destroying what makes it special' she said, 'It's the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty (Walls, 38)”. This is what her memoir revolves around, effort and exertion to make their life better.

Works Cited:

Walls, Jeannette. The glass castle: A memoir. Simon and Schuster, 2017.

Irvin, Andrea. "Minds and Hearts: Using Jeannette Walls's memoir," The Glass Castle", to Teach

Emotional Intelligence." English Journal (2012): 57-60.